Parliament prepares answers to EC questionnaire

The Serbian parliament has prepared answers to its part of the EC questionnaire. “Blank resignation letters are not included in the questionnaire,” says parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic. Parliament prepares answers to EC questionnaire According to the plan, Serbia has a little over a month to answer the EC questionnaire. After the Agriculture Ministry and the Defense Ministry, the Serbian parliament has also answered the questionnaire. Djukic-Dejanovic has stated that parliament’s European Integration Committee will discuss the answers on Monday. The questions that parliament gave answers to were the same as for other countries. “There were no specific questions and parliament did not answer questions about blank resignation letters because they were not included in the questionnaire,” the parliament speaker pointed out. “As things are now, we will not have elections next year. We have already said that 2011 will be a working year and not the election one, but at the same time it is a year when we can prepare the laws so our elections would be good and to revoke blank resignation letters in the next mandate,” she explained. “We actually need the election law in order to revoke blank resignation letters. It’s important that at least one part of the MPs is directly elected,” Djukic-Dejanovic added. In her opinion, mandates should belong to MPs, not to the parties. According to the plan, the Serbian government should adopt the entire questionnaire on January 31, 2011 and then send it to the EC which will review it and issue an opinion on Serbia’s readiness to receive the EU candidate status. Aside from answering the questionnaire, the Serbian authorities also need to eliminate some deficiencies such as the issue of blank resignation letters. Director of the EU Integration Office Milica Delevic says that it will take a lot of effort to eliminate those deficiencies and harmonize them with the EU standards. “Objections of the EC, which can also be seen in the progress report, are referring to lack of harmonization of constitutional and legal regulations with European standards because they allow blank resignation letters, as well as possibility that parties determine MPs on their own, regardless of the order on the election lists,” she stressed. “The type of the election system is something that’s determined by political agreement within the country, it can be changed if there is agreement, it is not determined by the EC,” Delevic concluded. Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic (FoNet, file)

Parliament prepares answers to EC questionnaire

According to the plan, Serbia has a little over a month to answer the EC questionnaire.

After the Agriculture Ministry and the Defense Ministry, the Serbian parliament has also answered the questionnaire. Đukić-Dejanović has stated that parliament’s European Integration Committee will discuss the answers on Monday.

The questions that parliament gave answers to were the same as for other countries.

“There were no specific questions and parliament did not answer questions about blank resignation letters because they were not included in the questionnaire,” the parliament speaker pointed out.

“As things are now, we will not have elections next year. We have already said that 2011 will be a working year and not the election one, but at the same time it is a year when we can prepare the laws so our elections would be good and to revoke blank resignation letters in the next mandate,” she explained.

“We actually need the election law in order to revoke blank resignation letters. It’s important that at least one part of the MPs is directly elected,” Đukić-Dejanović added.

In her opinion, mandates should belong to MPs, not to the parties.

According to the plan, the Serbian government should adopt the entire questionnaire on January 31, 2011 and then send it to the EC which will review it and issue an opinion on Serbia’s readiness to receive the EU candidate status.

Aside from answering the questionnaire, the Serbian authorities also need to eliminate some deficiencies such as the issue of blank resignation letters.

Director of the EU Integration Office Milica Delević says that it will take a lot of effort to eliminate those deficiencies and harmonize them with the EU standards.

“Objections of the EC, which can also be seen in the progress report, are referring to lack of harmonization of constitutional and legal regulations with European standards because they allow blank resignation letters, as well as possibility that parties determine MPs on their own, regardless of the order on the election lists,” she stressed.

“The type of the election system is something that’s determined by political agreement within the country, it can be changed if there is agreement, it is not determined by the EC,” Delević concluded.